Some Darknesses
by vinyl is better
Summary: After the curse broke Archie – Jiminy – has seen a lot of people. Everyone has a lot to talk about. One grey morning, Ruby Lucas needs his help. Part of the "Questions No One Asks" series.


This is a touch angsty. It's not quite Red Cricket, but it's there. This is set sometime between 1.21 and 2.2.

* * *

After the curse broke Archie – Jiminy – has seen a lot of people. Residents of Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest have been lined up outside his office, accosting him at the diner, and, on occasion, calling him at three in the morning.

Everyone wants Archie's advice. They have memories of both him as a Conscience and as the town psychologist. And as people struggling with dual memories, they have a lot they want to talk about.

But one grey morning Ruby Lucas – Red – nearly breaks his door down.

"Please open the door!" She shouts.

Jiminy opened the door. "Ruby-" He begins, but she throws her arms around his neck and nearly knocks him over.

She sobs on his shoulder incoherently and all he can make out is "My fault".

"Come now, Ruby." He untangles her arms and leads her to the couch, "What's your fault?"

Ruby – _Red_, Red's – face crumples and she drops it into her hands. Jiminy is at a loss. People have been upset – Geppetto is nearly beside himself with worry for his son, and James is devastated – but no one has been as distraught as Ruby.

Archie – Jiminy? – gets Ruby to drink a glass of water and waits for her tears to subside. "Archie would offer you something stronger, you know," He begins with a smile.

Ruby almost smiles. Her eyeliner and mascara have ran down her face. "But Jiminy won't? The Conscience thing?"

"No, not quite," Archie shakes his head. "I don't keep liquor in my office. It isn't very professional."

Ruby sniffles. Archie regards her calmly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Tears spill out of Ruby's eyes. "I've killed people," she began.

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't _that_. In a hurry, he begins, "Ah, yes, I know you were involved in the battle-"

"No! No, not that," Red says hastily, "That was war. It's… different somehow. It was necessary."

Archie sits down next to her. The Jiminy in him isn't sure why he does, but Archie-the-psychologist has always had easier times getting people to tell him what's wrong when he doesn't _look_ like a psychologist. And besides, Ruby is a friend.

Ruby's hands are shaking as she spins the glass in her hand.

"What happened?" Archie says quietly.

Ruby takes a big, shuddering breath. "Before I knew I was the wolf," she begins, and closes her eyes, turning away from Archie – or Jiminy, he's not sure which – "My boyfriend Peter wanted to help. We thought… we thought he was the wolf."

Archie's stomach plummets to the floor. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Ruby wipes at her face with the back of her hand and smears makeup on her hand, "I chained him to the tree. The moon came out, and I changed."

Ruby starts crying and it takes several minutes for Archie to calm her down. He pats her back and refills her glass.

"I'm sorry," Archie says, and he really, truly means it.

Ruby nods. "I'm not done," she says, and she looks like she might be sick.

"You can tell me when you're ready," He says gently.

"When Snow and I were on the run," She begins quietly, "I found a pack of wolves, of people like me. And I found my mother."

Archie gasps. "I thought your mother was dead."

Ruby laughs a humorless laugh. "So did I, until she told me. Granny lied." Many difficult emotions flit over Ruby's face, and Archie makes a note to offer her help with them someday. Archie – Jiminy (oh, it's been a few days and he still doesn't know who he is) – nods and waits for her to continue.

"She taught me how to control the wolf. I had a family. I had a pack." Ruby starts weeping, "And Snow found me, and they tried to kill her, and-and-and _and then I killed my mother_!"

Ruby throws herself in his lap and begins to sob. Both Archie and Jiminy are at a complete loss as to what to say, but one of him, or both of him, cautiously reaches out a hand and begins to slowly stroke her hair.

It is a long time before Ruby gathers herself together enough to raise her face. There is black mascara all over his pants. "I'm sorry about your pants," Ruby hiccups.

"It doesn't matter." Archie hands her his handkerchief and lets her clean herself up a bit.

"Only Snow and Granny know," Ruby says quietly, "I don't want anyone to know about that."

"I would never tell a soul," He says honestly.

"I don't expect you to understand-"

"Actually, I do." Archie and Jiminy suddenly feels suddenly very sick to his (their?) stomach.

"You- you do?" Ruby asks, bewildered.

"Before I was a cricket, I was… not a good man." Archie grips the glass in his hands. Of all the memories that have been returned, this one is the worst. "I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to escape my parents."

Ruby gasps. "_You_ made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin?"

"I wanted to get away from my parents. I was desperate," Archie stares determinedly at the glass in his hands. He's not quite sure why he's telling her this, but it feels good to get it off his chest, it feels good to share – she needs to know that she is not a monster. Everyone has their darkness, just some darknesses are darker than others. "My parents were con artists. They knew sleight of hand. They switched the potion that was meant for them with the vial of rainwater that we were passing off on an unsuspecting couple. That couple died."

Ruby covers Archie's hands with hers. "I'm so sorry."

Archie looks down at their hands, surprised. "I didn't know that's what would happen-"

"Rumpelstiltskin tricked you," Ruby says simply.

"He did," Archie agrees, "But that doesn't change the fact that I killed Geppetto's parents. That's how I became a cricket – the Blue Fairy helped me make amends."

Ruby squeezes his hands. "I'm sorry that happened to you. We can help each other."

Archie smiles sadly. "We can," he agrees.

Ruby wipes at her eyes again. "I'm sorry, but I have to go back to the diner. Curse or no curse, everyone's hungry."

Archie stands up to show her to the door.

"Thank you for everything," Ruby says, and puts her arms around his neck for a hug.

She holds on to him, and Archie slowly wraps his arms around her. "You're welcome." Archie may have been a cursed man for twenty-eight years, and a cricket for much longer, but Ruby feels good in his arms.

She releases him and steps back, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'll see you soon?"

"Yes, of course," Archie says. "Anytime. I'll be here. As a psychologist, a conscience…" As he gazed at her, he added, "And a friend."

"A friend," Ruby smiles, "I'd like that."


End file.
